Acrylic painting on an 11-inch x 14-inch board.

In the 1930s, my father did “hill climbing,” or off-road motorcycling. I have photos of him hill racing in Massachusetts. I never knew he was a Harley-Davidson driver or my mother loved Harley’s. They never talked about it. One of my aunts (Bertha Hassard) told me the story a few years ago. I’ve wanted to paint something that reflects my father’s love of motorcycle racing.

I used the red you see as the ground and fully intended to cover it with the painting. After drawing the motorcycle on the board, I mixed a violet with some white and just mixed it around…After painting the motorcycle, I decided not to paint over the red ground but instead leave it as the background for the Harley.

My father hill racing in Massachusetts in c. 1935
My father: Russell J. Hassard
1935 Harley
1930’s Hill Climbing
Acrylic of 1935 Harley similar to the bike my dad rode.
Reference photo of a 35 Harley